The Private Spaceflight Company, SpaceX

SpaceX is one of the biggest contenders for privatized spaceflight. They have signed contracts with NASA and have already sent resupply missions to the International Space Station. SpaceX has been revolutionary in their endeavours as they are constantly trying to create new spacecrafts or change ways that the spacecrafts are currently used. SpaceX is a private spaceflight company that is trying to revolutionize space travel.

SpaceX is a major company when it comes to spaceflight as they are the first commercial company to actually visit and resupply the International Space Station. The main rocket that they use is called the Falcon 9 rocket. This rocket is extremely reliable as it has 9 other engines which helps to prevent major failures if an engine does not work. The Falcon 9’s payload currently consists of non-pressurized Dragon capsules which are used to bring cargo to and from the space station. They have unveiled and concepts for a pressurized dragon capsule which could then carry astronauts to the ISS and back. SpaceX is majorly changing the space industry as they keep trying for their breakthrough technology to work, a reusable rocket.

The Falcon 9 is composed of 2 different stages, one to get out of the atmosphere for the most part, and the other to deliver the payload to its rendezvous point. The first stage has been modified to not consume all of the fuel that it carries. At separation, the first stage of the rocket turns around and propels itself back to earth. It then uses a remote guidance system to control it and land it on a barge that SpaceX has specifically designed and made for. So far, this reusable stage has been tested twice, with a third being on June 22nd. Both of the launches that have currently happened failed not in targeting and arriving at the barge, rather when it gets to the barge the first time it came down to fast and at a sharp angle causing it to crash, and the second it actually landed on the barge, but its velocity was to much and it tipped over on the ship.

A reusable rocket, once it is actually tested and able to be used, will completely change the space industry. Instead of launching, deorbiting, and then rebuilding another rocket repeatedly, they could just launch, land, and prepare to launch again. This system although it seems like it could just be a repeat of the shuttle program, with using reusable space vehicles, but they are vastly different. SpaceX uses the newest technologies, much more advanced and more efficient than the old designs that the shuttle used. SpaceX also has plans to create massive launch vehicles which could then implement the same concept as the reusable Falcon 9, and then send cheaper missions to other celestial bodies.